Costs of SMS systems

If you decide to implement an SMS system in
your corporate IT system you need to calculate on some costs that occur during
the setup. First you need a computer and a GSM modem to connect to the mobile
network to be able to send SMS messages. If you connect directly to the SMS
center of your mobile service provider over the Internet then you need a
subscription with your service provider. In this case they will sell you SMS
credits and will provide a per SMS tariff. If you sign up with your local
mobile network operator, you will probably be charged a monthly fee and a small
rate per SMS. This will be the only regular fee. Finally you need to purchase
the license of the SMS gateway software. This article provides you more detailed
information about these costs of implementation and maintenance.

Cost categories

If you wish to setup a corporate SMS system you need to
calculate on three cost categories. The first one occur when you buy the license
of the SMS gateway. The second category is the costs of the mobile service
provider connection. Finally there is the cost of the computer on which
the SMS gateway operates. The cost of the software license depends on the
transfer capacity of the software. You also need to calculate on the cost of
the connection to
the mobile network. If you connect over GSM modem connection then you
need to pay for the GSM modem and for the SIM card. If it is an IP SMS
connection over the Internet then the mobile service provider can request
connection fees.

Regular fee

After the initial investment there is only one regular fee.
This needs to be
payed for the mobile service provider. It includes the costs of the sent SMS
messages. If you send SMS messages via GSM modem then the fee is determined
by your tariff package. This tariff package needs to be chosen when you buy the
the SIM card. In case of IP SMS connection over the Internet the fee is
determined by the mobile service provider. It is not necessary to pay a regular
fee to the supplier of the SMS gateway software. There can be an optional
annual fee which is paid for the technical support service of the software.

Ad-hoc fee

After the setup of your corporate SMS system there can be
certain ad-hoc fees.
For example if the computer goes wrong on which the SMS service operates and the
installation CD or license code has lost. In this case the supplier of the SMS
gateway software can request fees for the supplement of the CD or the License
code.